Fireproof-building floor construction.



UNITED sTATEs ERNEST V. JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FIREPROOF-BUILDING Specification of Letters Patent.

FLOOR CONSTRUCTION.

Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

Application led December 17, 1909. Serial No. 533,687.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST V. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fireproof Building Floor Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in floor construction for tireproof buildings.

Heretofore in fireproof building floor construction, it has been customary to fill in the pipe space above the steel supporting beams or girders and the fiat arch masonry or ireproof filling between such beams,'with a cement and einder filling, the gas, electric conduit, water, steam and other pipes being first put in position, and the wood floor strips being also put in position and supported on ytem orary blocks, before the cement cinder lling is applied over and around the pipes and tamped in solid to a'ord support for the wood floor strips embedded therein and to which the finished flooring is nailed. This cement cinder filler construction in practical operation is open to a number of serious objections or defects. It adds very greatly to the weight of the floor, ordinarily about 38 ounds per square foot; and this notwithstanding that this pipe s ace filling is composed of cinders, the lightest available ireproof material; the sulfur in the coal cinders in connection with the moisture tends to quickly oxidize and destroy the pipes embedded therein; the excessive moisture in this cement cinder Vor quasi concrete filling swells, warps and distorts the finished oorir'ig laid on top of the wood floor strips and often makes 1t necessary to take up and relay at great expense the finished flooring, es eeially in cases where it is necessary to laytl'ie finished flooring within a few weeks after the cement cinder filling is put in, as is often required. to save eat loss to the owner and to save heavy penalty to the constructor; a'nd the pipes being embedded in and covered by the cement cinder filling, the gas, water, steam,`and electric conduit pipes are not readily accessible for repairs or alterations, thus often necessitating great expense for simple repairs or changesyand the cement cinder ii ling in which the pipes are embedded prevents the steam and other pipes from expanding or giving under changes of temperature and frequently causes them or their joints to open up and become leaky.

The object of my invention is to provide au improved fireproof floor construction by which the objections and defects above mentioued may be entirely overcome or obviated, and which will be strong, simple, efficient and durable and thoroughly 4iireproof and which will enable the finished liooring to be laid immediately after the pipe space filling is applied without danger of swelling or distorting the finished liooring, which willl materially reduce the weight of the floor per square foot and also leave the water, gas, .steam and other pipes comparatively freely accessible for changes or repairs.

My invention consists in the means I einploy and herein shown and described to practically accomplish this object or result, the same being particularly set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a fire proof building iioor construction embodying my invention, the section being taken transverse to the wood door strips. Fig. 2 is a plan view, broken away at different levels tobetter show the construction and Fig. 3 is a detail section of one of the filler tile, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, A represents one of the steel supporting beams or girders of a tireproof building floor construction, B the fiat arch masonry or ireprof filling between the beams or girders A, the same being of concrete, tile, or other suitable material, C C1 the piping space above the flat arch or lireproof filling B and girder A containing the various steam, water, electric conduits and gas pipes C2 Cs C* Cxs of the building, running in various directions and' crossing each other as may be required, this piping being of any suitable or desired construction and arrangement.

D D are my narrow supporting tile extending preferably parallel to the girders A and having a suitable cement or mortar bed cl on the lireproof filling oar flat masonry arch B, and each having a fiat upper face d1 to receive \the wood Hoor strips E, and seats or shoulders d2 to receive the filler tile F. The wood floor strips E preferably have i beveled sides or upright faces E1, and the filler tile F have corresponding beveled faces f. The finished flooring G is laid upon and j nailed to the wood fioor strips E. The,y narrow. supporting tile D are preferably hollow and are made of various lengths to aci commodate the space or distance between i .adjacent pipes which cross the lines of the f supporting tile D. The supporting tile D 7 are as a rule preferably made of a standard length', as for example, twelve inches, and the shorter ones only used as occasion may require. Th'e .filler tile F whichvfit between the supporting tile D and floor strips E l cover the pipe space C and are preferably laid with tight cement or mortar joints f2 between their beveled side edges and the supporting tile D and floor strips E and with similar cement or mortar joints f3 between the ends of the adjacent filler tile F.

As the water, steam, electric conduit and gas pipes all fit loosely iii an open pipe Space C between the flatmasonry arch or concrete filling B and the filler tile F, the i' sameare free to slightly move or contract. under variations of temperature and are..l thus not liable to be subjected to violent strains which might fracture them or their joints and cause leaks. And as in my inveng tion, all the pipes are comparatively free@ and loose and not embedded in any concrete l or cement filling, they are readily accessible for making repairs'or alterations.- And as in my invention, the supporting tile D andl ller tile Fare dry and absorbent of mois. i ture when laid, the comparatively small amount of moisture in the ceient joints or bedding of the tile is very quickly taken up by the tile so that the finished flooring G may be at once laid on the wood fioor strips i E as soon as the cement or mortar of the joints becomes set and firm without any danger whatever of causing the oor to swell or warp or become distorted; my 1in-| proved construction thus rendering it entirely unnecessary to employ salamanders for drying the cement cinder filling as has' heretofore been customary.

I claim 1. In a fireproof building floor constructioii, the combination 'with a fiat arch fireproof filling, of wood floor strips, supporting tile between said wood fioor strips and said fireproof filling provided with ledges to receive filler tile, and filler tile resting upon said ledges and extending above the lower faces of tlie wood floor strips and embracing at their sides the wood floor strips to confine said wood fioor strips in posit-ion, said filler tile and supporting tile forming a clear pipe space between the filler tile and firepi'oof filling, substantially as specified. 2. In a fireproof building floor construction, the combination. with a flat arch fireproof filling, of wood floor strips, support.-

ing` tile-betweeii said wood floor strips and said fireproof filling provided with ledges to receive filler tile, and filler tile resting upon said` ledges and extending above the lower faces of the wood floor `strips and embracing at their sides the wood floor strips to confine said wood floor strips in position,v said filler tile and supporting tile forming a clear pipe space between the filler tile and firepi'oof filling, said floor strips and said filler tile having beveled meeting faces, substantially as specied.

ERNEST V. JOHNSON.

lVitiiesses PEARL ABRAMS, EDMUND ADcocK. 

